No wonder Sharon had looked like hell. And he did that to her.

Bucky takes the blow, absorbs it, and adds it to the guilt and grief that he's already carrying. He walks in silence beside Nakia for several more steps before he speaks again.

"I know how she feels." His voice sounds different from how Nakia's heard it before -- cool, empty, and flat as the blade of a knife. "I don't understand why, but I know. Even after I almost killed her."

Grass shifts under their feet. It's almost the only sound around them.

"I can't be what she wants, Nakia. What she needs. If you want to keep her away from me, I won't fight it."